Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
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| Canada goldenrod at Crater Lake National Park. ©2010 Keir Morse. |
Introductory
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Coladonato, Milo. 1993. Solidago canadensis. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/solcan/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
SOLCAN
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
SOCA6
COMMON NAMES :
Canada goldenrod
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name for Canada goldenrod is Solidago
canadensis L. [10]. Five varieties are recognized [10]:
Solidago canadensis var. canadensis L.
Solidago canadensis var. gilvocanescens Rydb.
S. c, var. salebrosa (Piper) M. E. Jones
Solidago canadensis var. scarbra T. & G.
Solidago canadensis var. hargeri Fern.
Taxonomy within the genus Solidago is complicated due to great
intraspecific variation and geographic clines in characteristics [38].
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Canada goldenrod is widespread across North America. It occurs in
almost every state and throughout Canada [4,16,34,37].
ECOSYSTEMS :
Canada goldenrod occurs in most ecosystems.
STATES :
AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA
ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA
MI MN MS MO MT NE NH NJ NY NC
ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX
UT VT VA WA WV WI WY AB BC MB
NB NF NT NS ON PE PQ SK YT
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
2 Cascade Mountains
4 Sierra Mountains
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
7 Lower Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
15 Black Hills Uplift
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
Canada goldenrod occurs in most Kuchler Plant Associations.
SAF COVER TYPES :
Canada goldenrod occurs in most SAF Cover Types.
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
Canada goldenrod occurs in most SRM Cover Types.
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Canada goldenrod is sometimes dominant or codominant in disturbed forest
understories [38]. It also may dominate or codominate Midwestern
prairies [11]. Canada goldenrod is named as an herbaceous layer
dominant in the following publication :
Subalpine forb community types of the Bridger-Teton National Forest,
Wyoming [14].
Common understory associates of Canada goldenrod include red clover
(Trifolium pratense), Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia),
Carolina nightshade (Solanum carolinense), Missouri goldenrod (Solidago
missouriensis), small white ladyslipper (Cypripedium candidum), sticky
geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), northern bedstraw (Galium boreale)
and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) [6,9,16,36].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
White-tailed deer selectively graze Canada goldenrod, particularly in
late summer and autumn after inflorescence development [17,38].
PALATABILITY :
In Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming, Canada goldenrod
is rated good to fair in palatability for cattle, sheep, and horses [5].
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
Canada goldenrod provides poor cover for elk, deer, pronghorn, and
upland game birds [5].
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Canada goldenrod is an important source of nectar for honeybees [38].
Several shades of dye can be produced from Canada goldenrod [1].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Canada goldenrod is not a serious weed in annual crops, and it seldom
reaches densities that are a problem in rangelands. It does, however,
invade poorly managed pastures and can be a pest in forest nurseries,
perennial gardens, and crops [38,39].
Canada goldenrod has an allelopathic effect on sugar maple (Acer
saccharum) seedlings and reduces germination of herbaceous species,
including itself [38].
Response to herbicides: The response of Canada goldenrod to herbicides
is affected by population age. In Quebec, a young population which had
recently invaded a disturbed site was less susceptible to 2,4-D than an
old, established population. Conversely, susceptibility to paraquat,
simazine, and diuron declined with population age [38].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Canada goldenrod is an erect, rhizomatous perennial herb growing to
heights of about 6 feet (1.8 m) and forming large clonal colonies
[13,38,39]. Alternate leaves surround the central stem with the larger
leaves occurring on the lower stem. Flowers are borne on numerous small
flower heads. The fruit is an achene [30]. The rhizomes arise mostly
from the base of the aerial stems, and are usually 2 to 5 inches (5-12
cm) long [27,30,34].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Canada goldenrod reproduces from seed and from creeping rhizomes
[25,30]. The flowers are self-incompatible and are pollinated by
insects. The seed is wind dispersed, with most seeds falling within
6.5 feet (2.0 m) of the parent plant [38].
Vegetative reproduction: Canada goldenrod reproduces from rhizomes after
the first year of growth. One erect stem usually forms at a rhizome
node. Each rhizome can produce a single shoot from its apical tip
[2,38].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Canada goldenrod occurs on abandoned farmlands, infrequently grazed
pastures, waste areas, and tallgrass prairies [38]. It is also found
along roadsides and fence lines, in dry open fields, and in open woods
or damp meadows that dry out every year [18]. It can tolerate a fairly
wide range of soil fertility and texture conditions, but is typically
found in fairly moist soils. It is not found on waterlogged sites and
is found only rarely on very dry sites [31,38].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Canada goldenrod is fairly shade intolerant although it occurs in
sparsely wooded areas [38]. It is one of the first species to invade
following disturbances including fire [23]. Canada goldenrod is
eventually replaced by shrubs [32].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Canada goldenrod rhizomes are usually produced in late autumn and lie
dormant during the winter months. Shoot extension occurs the following
spring [38]. Canada goldenrod flowers from July through September,
although the length of its flowering season varies with geographic
location. Seeds are gradually dispersed during the autumn and winter
[3,20].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Canada goldenrod is generally enhanced by fire. It regenerates after
fire from on-site soil-stored seed and underground rhizomes [25,40].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Ground residual colonizer (on-site, initial community)
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Fire top-kills all aerial portions of Canada goldenrod [12,25].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
Canada goldenrod responds positively following low- to moderate-severity
fires [23,27]. On a northwestern Minnesota prairie site, Canada
goldenrod showed increased flowering following a prescribed spring fire
[25]. In Wisconsin, prescribed fire had little effect on percent cover
of Canada goldenrod but accounted for an increase in stem density [15].
In a 53-year record of forest succession following fire in northern
lower Michigan, Canada goldenrod had its greatest frequency index 24
years after fire [28].
In a study of plant succession in the Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii)
brush zone after fire, Canada goldenrod showed a higher average number
of plants on burned areas than on unburned areas, even after 18
years [22].
In May and June, fires in wetland margins of southeastern North Dakota
were conducted for the purpose of increasing cover and forage for
waterfowl. In the summer after fires and the next year, Canada goldenrod
was either unchanged or reduced in cover as compared to control plots
[24].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
The Research Project Summary Understory recovery after low- and high-intensity
fires in northern Idaho ponderosa pine forests provides information on
prescribed fire use and postfire response of plant community species
including Canada goldenrod.
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Solidago canadensis
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FEIS Home Page
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/forb/solcan/all.html
